Return to Kadenburg (16 page)

–––––––—

Presley was desperately trying to keep up with the
excitement of the newcomers, and she felt especially distracted by seeing that
her aunt Natalie was alive and well. Her survival was a miracle in itself, and
she’d have to remember to thank Beau and Louisa later.

Speaking of Louisa, the girl had hardly taken her eyes
off Presley since they’d gathered in the kitchen for the highly anticipated
‘discussion’ of what was going on in Kadenburg. Mrs. Bamey barely managed to
share the news of more ursithropes coming when the sheriff showed up.

“Well, I never,” Mrs. Bamey huffed in irritation. “Why
is everything happening all at once? We really need to talk about this.”

“And we will in a minute,” Mr. Bamey promised as he
opened the front door and saw the sheriff standing there, his fist in the air,
ready to knock. “Hello, Sheriff. What can we do for ya?”

“I’m looking for my son,” Sheriff Holter explained as
he glanced inside. “Are you all having a party or something?”

“A family reunion of sorts,” Mr. Bamey smirked. “But
your boy is here. I’ll go fetch him for you.”

“Hello, Sheriff,” Mrs. Bamey called out, waving to him.
“Would you like to come in and have some coffee?”

“No, thank you, Charlotte. I’m a bit busy right
now. I just wanted to make sure Rutley was okay. I haven’t heard from him
since last night.”

“He’s fine,” Mrs. Bamey insisted. “I’ve fed him for
you and kept him out of harm’s way.”

Presley’s eyes moved back and forth from Mrs. Bamey to
the sheriff. She could feel tension thickening around her, but she had no idea
where it was coming from. It was very strange how she could sense things now.
She wasn’t sure if it was a blessing or a curse just yet.

As Mrs. Bamey made small talk with the sheriff, Presley
did her very best to ignore the glare Colin was giving her. Was he mad at
her? What on earth had she done to him to deserve the looks he kept casting in
her direction?

‘What’s wrong?’
Lorcan asked as he touched her
hand beneath the table.

‘Nothing,’
Presley smiled gently at him.
‘I’m
just ready to be done with this.’

‘Soon,’
Lorcan promised as his
thumb stroked over her knuckles.
‘We’ll never have to worry about it again
once Breslin’s dead.’

Thank Urseth for that. She did
find comfort in the idea of Breslin being gone for good. Then she and Lorcan
could live happily and worry-free. She would be able to embrace her inner bear
and the ways of her people. Her and Lorcan could get married and raise their
b—

Her thoughts dissipated when Mrs. Bamey spoke
excitedly. She lifted her gaze to see Rutley disappearing out the door to
speak to his father, and Dimitri emerged from the bathroom. He looked pained
and confused, and she had a feeling it wasn’t because of the arrow incident.
There was something else going on in his mind….she could feel it.

And then Lorcan was up and moving out the back door,
taking Dimitri with him. He seemed to be in such a hurry. Why?

Why do I bother to try and keep up with all of this?
She wondered as her eyes met Louisa’s again. What did the girl know that
Presley didn’t? What secret was she harboring behind her cocoa colored hues?

Louisa offered her a small smile as she picked up the
glass of water sitting before her. She took a sip, only glancing away from
Presley when Colin spoke.

“So, Panda Pants, how old are you?”

“I am nineteen,” Louisa replied with a nod.

“Cute,” Colin grinned, his eyes shifting to Presley
briefly before focusing on the brunette once more. “You’re really adorable,
you know that?”

Louisa placed her glass carefully on the table, her
eyes lifting to meet his before a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “I
may seem adorable now, but call me Panda Pants one more time and see how cute I
can be.”

Davey Berdine bit back a howl of laughter as he reached
for his coffee cup. Kyle Frey let out a low whistle and immediately turned his
head in the opposite direction to hide his smile. Various snickers sounded
from around the kitchen, yet no one wanted to point out how badly the girl had
just embarrassed Colin.

His smile immediately disappeared as he stood from the
table, the chair scraping across the floor as his nostrils flared. He left the
room without saying a word, probably going into the bathroom to nurse his ego.

What a jerk,
Presley thought with a shake of her
head.
Not every woman wants to be hit on.

She didn’t really have time to
be bothered with Colin’s shenanigans anyway. She was worried about Lorcan. He
was way too tense and he seemed anxious about everything. Maybe it would do
him some good to talk to Dimitri in private. The werewolf was the closest
thing he had to Liam, wasn’t he?

She willed her body to relax as she leaned back in her
seat. Too much stress would be bad for the baby.

I’m going to do it right this time,
she promised
herself. Not that she’d done it wrong the first time…it was just with the
wrong partner. As messed up as it all seemed, she was finally beginning to
understand it wasn’t her fault. Urseth was a twisted god, but she was grateful
to have a second chance at being a mother. She would not follow the same path
as her own mom. She would be good to this baby. She would be the best mama
bear in the world.

This cub will be loved,
her inner bear
promised.

Presley was readying herself to reply when a sudden
gunshot rang in the air. Panic clutched at her heart as she sprang up from the
table and moved towards the front door. What on earth had just happened?

She pushed the door open, stepping out onto the porch
to see a most terrible sight. Sheriff Holter was gripping his pistol in one
hand and Rutley’s face was frozen in horror. Lorcan was standing a few feet
away, his mouth hanging agape as he stared at the figure on the ground. It was
Dimitri.

He wasn’t moving.

Nineteen

“Y
ou need to stay out of my way,” Beau
instructed as he knelt down beside of the unconscious werewolf and got to
work. He tore open Dimitri’s shirt, exposing his chest, and the fresh gunshot
wound as he shook his head. “Just give me space. Stay back.”

Mrs. Bamey was in tears, sputtering and sobbing as she
clutched a hand over her chest. “Why did you do that?” She asked, glaring at
the sheriff. “He’s just an innocent boy!”

“The hell he is,” Sheriff Holter replied as he stared
down at the bloody mess surrounding Dimitri’s body. “There are things you
wouldn’t understand, Mrs. Bamey. I was defending myself.”

“Defending yourself against what?” Lorcan asked
angrily. “He didn’t have a weapon!”

“Goddamn it, Dad!” Rutley shrieked as he pushed his
hair away from his eyes and stared down at Dimitri. “Why the fuck did you do
that?”

“You know
why
I did it, Rut.”

“He’s losing a lot of blood,” Beau observed as he
leaned back on his haunches, unzipping his jacket and pulling it off. He
wadded the material up and pressed it against the gunshot wound, trying to stop
the bleeding.

“What the hell did you shoot him with, Owen?” Mr. Bamey
asked in an accusatory tone.

Beau already knew what the man shot the wolf with. It
was a silver bullet and it was meant to cause devastation…..unless he could get
it out in time. Of course he knew werewolf hunters existed, but he had no idea
that this town was overflowing with supernatural beings. It was actually sort
of ridiculous. Kadenburg seemed to be crawling with them.

“I did what I had to do,” Sheriff Holter scowled. “Now
move away from him so I can take him in for questioning.”

“Questioning?!” Mrs. Bamey exploded. She stepped
towards him, waggling a finger in his direction. “If you take him anywhere
aside from the hospital, he’ll bleed out!”

“That’s not my problem,” The sheriff remarked. Pulling
the handcuffs from his side, he stepped forward, only to be shoved back by his
very own son.

Beau glanced up briefly, watching their interaction
before focusing on the task at hand again. He needed to worry about getting
the bullet out. He did not have much time.

“You need to leave,” Rutley said through clenched
teeth.

“I’m not leaving without him,” Sheriff Holter replied.
“And we’re going to talk about this later, young man. I don’t know
why
you were here with him, but I’m going to find out.”

Mrs. Bamey glanced at her husband worriedly before
gazing down at Beau. “Can you save him?” She asked softly. Her voice cracked
with heartache as another tear slid down her cheek.

“I can,” Beau nodded confidently. “But I’m going to
need help.”

“Anything you need, Son. Just name it,” Mr. Bamey
promised as he crouched down beside of him.

“I am going to need some tweezers and a bottle of
whiskey. It would also help if you would be willing to hold him down while
this happens. He is not going to like it once that bullet comes out.”

“Oh, that’s horse shit!” Sheriff Holter exclaimed. “I
will not permit you to perform a medical procedure on him, do you understand
me?”

“I don’t think you’ve got any damn right to be saying
what we can or cannot do,” Lorcan replied in a dangerous tone as he glared at
him.

Sheriff Holter jaw went slack as he stared at him, his
eyes narrowing. “You know, Bamey, I’ve been working at all hours of the night
trying to find you for a week. Now I don’t know anything about what happened,
but I do know I’m not very fond of my son hanging out with the likes of
him
.
I’m the damn sheriff in this town and what I say goes. No one touches him,” He
aimed his pistol at Beau. “Step away from him.
Now.
”

Beau slowly lifted his head, turning it to stare
straight up at the sheriff as he frowned. “You are willing to let this man
die?” He asked. “Is your job not to serve and protect the citizens of this
town?”

“It ain’t my job to protect
him
,” Sheriff Holter
replied with hate in his voice. “He’s no citizen of mine,” He pulled the
hammer back on his pistol. The
click
could be heard from miles away.
“Now I said move.”

Beau swallowed hard, his eyes remaining focused on the
Sheriff’s as he made no move to back away. In fact, he pressed the jacket
harder against Dimitri’s stomach as he stared the man down. He wouldn’t budge
on this. Though he had originally attacked the wolf without knowing his
connection to the ursithropes, now that he did know, he was obligated to save
the mate of a fallen bear. “No.”

“Boy, I will tell you one more ti-”

Sheriff Holter’s pistol fell from his grasp, hitting
the ground only seconds before his convulsing body followed. All eyes moved to
see Rutley standing behind him, wide eyed. He was gripping a Taser between his
hands, staring down at his father’s limp form as his mouth fell open.

“Rutley?” Mrs. Bamey’s voice was still thick with
emotion as she stepped towards him. “What was that all about?”

Rutley lifted his tearful gaze to meet hers, frowning.
“I couldn’t let him do that,” He whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

“We ain’t got time to worry about it right now,” Davey
Berdine interrupted. “We’ve gotta get that boy inside and get the bullet out.
Lorcan, Colin, carry him in.”

As the two larger ursithropes carried Dimitri into the
house, Beau and Davey hurried in behind them. Mrs. Bamey cautiously approached
Rutley.

“What was that all about?” She asked once again,
reaching her hand out to touch his arm. “Rutley, what’s going on? Why did
your father do that?”

“He….” Rutley blinked, his eyes meeting hers. “He was
just doing what he was trained to do, Mrs. B. What I’m trained to do. I’m so
sorry….I….I just….”

“It’s all right,” She whispered, hugging her arms
around him as he finally dropped the Taser. “It’s all right, my sweet boy.
Everything will be all right.”

“No, it won’t,” Rutley stated in a breaking voice as he
buried his face against her shoulder. “I just did a very bad thing.”

––––––—

Louisa was silent was she watched her cousin work
quickly and with precision to remove the bullet from the werewolf’s stomach.
The loud
clink
of the bullet hitting the bottom of the bowl caused her
to cringe. She couldn’t imagine what pain he would be in once he regained
consciousness.

“I need the whiskey again,” Beau instructed as he held
his hand out. Lorcan handed it to him without hesitation and Beau unscrewed
the top. He took a drink first, and then he tilted the bottle slightly to
splash the mahogany colored liquid against the gaping hole. “Bandages,
please.”

Louisa moved out of the crowded bedroom and made her way
back towards the living room. It was too much excitement for her. With
werewolves and hunters and jealousy raging all around her, an empath could only
handle so much.

She bypassed the bathroom and stopped briefly, taking
in the energy of the ursithrope who’d taken refuge in there nearly an hour
ago. She did not know Arnold Goult personally, but she was smart enough to put
two and two together. He and Natalie had a history, and more than likely it
was not a history he was ready to deal with. She would ask Natalie later,
perhaps, or maybe not. It wasn’t her business, was it?

She and Beau had come here for one purpose. It was not
to get acquainted with their ancestors; it was to kill Breslin Connor. But
then what? What would happen after he was dead and gone? They could not
return to China. They had no home to go back to. They were orphans now and
the remaining members of their family that had survived disbanded and went
their own ways. Louisa and Beau only had one another. What was keeping them
from starting over in Kadenburg?

Beau will not stay here for long,
she told
herself as she moved back into the kitchen and grabbed for her glass of water.
It was warm. Oh well. She took a sip anyway, licking at her lips before
sighing. What a stressful day, and it wasn’t even three o’clock yet.

She turned her attention to the blond ursithrope as
she entered the kitchen, moving towards the fridge to rummage through it.

“Hi again,” Presley said as she pulled out the gallon
of milk and moved to the counter. “A lot of excitement, huh?” She laughed.

“More than I am used to,” Louisa admitted. “Is it
always so exciting?”

“Not really,” Presley shook her head, pouring a glass
of milk for herself before putting the gallon back into the fridge. She turned
around to face Louisa, releasing a low breath. “Things have just gotten crazy
lately….
really
crazy.”

“I can see that,” Louisa tried to offer a smile, but
she felt incredibly awkward. She was feeling so many emotions coming from the
other female as they stood there. She was happy, but sad. She was calm, but
worried. Was there an emotion she
wasn’t
feeling at the moment?

“So, do you like Kadenburg so far?” Presley asked after
taking another drink.

“It is more than I ever imagined,” Louisa nodded. “I
have heard many stories about this place, but I never knew that it could
possess such beauty. It is very nice. Have you lived here your entire life?”

“I have,” Presley put her glass on the counter before
turning to rummage through the cabinets. “I moved away for a little while, but
I came back a few weeks ago. It seems like I just couldn’t stay away.”

Louisa frowned. “Why would you leave your home?”

“Eh, I did it because of this guy,” Presley shook her
head, turning around with a jar of honey between her hands. “It was stupid,
really. It was the dumbest mistake I’ve ever made.”

Louisa watched as she opened the jar of honey and
squeezed a generous amount onto her fingertip. Tilting her head to the side,
she asked the question that was burning a hole in her mind. “And how did your
mate feel about that?”

“Lorcan?” Presley blinked. “Oh, we weren’t mates back
then,” She laughed, sucking the honey between her lips. “That just
happened……really recently.”

“I do not understand,” Louisa blinked, taking a step
closer to her. “The cub in your womb is more than a day old. Were you not
mated when it was conceived?”

She watched as Presley’s face paled, and she realized
she’d said too much. She had a tendency to do that.

“How did you know I’m pregnant?” Presley asked
skeptically.

“I…Oh, I didn’t mean to intrude,” Louisa stumbled over
her words as she tugged at the bracelet on her left wrist. “I am very sorry if
I’ve offended you.”

“You didn’t offend me,” Presley bit her lower lip. “I
just…don’t know how both you and Natalie were able to detect it so soon.”

“All female ursithropes are highly perceptive,” Louisa
eased into a chair and lifted a hand to rub the back of her neck. “We can
sense many things our male counterparts cannot. Natalie and I can hear the
tiny heartbeat of your baby where your mate does not hear anything just yet.
He will in a few weeks, just as human doctors will be able to detect it with a
machine….but I can hear it loud and clear right now.”

“That’s amazing,” Presley said softly. “What does it
sound like?”

“It is very fast. Just try to clear your mind and
concentrate. You will hear it, too.”

She was silent as she observed the golden haired
female, watching as Presley closed her eyes and released a soft breath. The
seconds ticked by, but they were no match for the quick
thump thump
of
the small being residing in the girl’s stomach. Louisa smiled gently, resting
her chin against her fist as she took comfort in the sound. She had been
looking forward to starting her own family…..

“I can hear it,” Presley broke the silence after a
moment. Louisa lifted her eyes to gaze at the girl, noting the tears
glistening in front of her bright green irises. “I can hear its heartbeat.”

“See? I told you,” Louisa beamed.

“Told her what?” Mrs. Bamey asked as she entered the
kitchen. She was wiping her hands off on a rag, her tired, bloodshot eyes
moving back and forth between the two of them as she made her way to the sink.

“Nothing,” Presley said quickly as she dropped her gaze
to the floor. “We’re just talking about girl stuff.”

“Ohh, girl stuff,” Mrs. Bamey repeated with an
exhausted laugh. “Well, I don’t suppose I’d know anything about that, now
would I?”

Louisa wondered why the girl was hiding her baby from
Mrs. Bamey. Was her son not the baby’s father?

It is not your business,
Louisa reminded herself
as she stood from the table. “I’m going to go check on Beau,” She announced.
“I’ll talk to you later, Presley.”

“Later,” Presley called after her.

Upon entering the bedroom in which the injured wolf was
resting somewhat comfortably, Louisa leaned against the doorframe and watched
as her cousin rinsed the blood away from his hands.